Tang Dynasty

Camel head height: 58.4 cm, Length from head to tail: 43.4 cm, Dancer height: 25.1 cm

Unearthed in 1957 from the tomb of Xianyu Tinghui, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province

The Camel stands tall with its head held high, carrying five adult men ofHan Chinese and Central Asian ethnicities. The central figure, a bearded Central Asian man, moves gracefully to the rhythm, while the remaining four sit around him playing music. Of the instruments once held, only a pipa remains intact. Research suggests that one musician plucked the pipa, one played a wind instrument, one performed on a bili (a type of reed pipe), and two beat drums, all characteristic of the "Hu music". The Figurine of a Troupe of Musicians on a Camel is elegant in form, dynamic in movement, and vivid and lustrous in glaze, exemplifying the peak of Tang Sancai (three-color) pottery technique.